Voice technology: Picking up productivity
When a paper-based system wasn't getting the job done for Henry Schein, voice picking technology made workers more adaptable and productive.
By Allison Manning, Contributing Editor -- Modern Materials Handling, 3/1/2009
Consider the guarantee. Henry Schein, the largest distributor of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American and European markets, guarantees any order received by 5 p.m. eastern standard time will be processed and shipped that day.
But, a steady increase on the 60,000 boxes the company’s associates were already shipping daily was making that promise hard to keep. Associates were using a manual paper system to report information about orders, including product descriptions, expiration dates and quantities. And, more stringent product distribution requirements and pedigree tracking laws required better tools to adapt to procedures and regulations.
Henry Schein managers decided to target order selection operations to pick up productivity, installing voice picking technology (Lucas Systems, 724-940-7000, www.lucasware.com) at its distribution centers in Dallas and Jacksonville, Fla.
The small, wearable computer and headset verbally directs each worker with product locations, descriptions and lot numbers, as well as validates the product information. Since the installation of the hands-free device in both facilities, product-picking accuracy has increased by 12%, and productivity, measured by the number of product lines each worker processes an hour, is up by 8%.
In addition, supervisors can see the work in progress and communicate product changes—a task that was much more difficult with a paper system.
In 2009, the system will be implemented in three additional distribution centers in Denver, Pa.; Reno, Nev.; and Indianapolis.
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